Clik here to view.
Why does lettuce sometimes turn brown?
The chemistry that takes place when lettuce leaves become brown is the same chemistry we see when an apple is cut and turns brown, when green guacamole turns brown or when a green olive ripens and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why can’t you use fresh pineapple to make Jell-o?
Pineapple, kiwi and papaya all contain proteolytic enzymes, in other words enzymes capable of breaking down protein molecules. And gelatin, the substance that makes Jell-O gel, is a protein. Gelatin...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What element derives its name from the Latin word for “flow?”
Fluere is the Latin word for flow and provides the root for the name of the element we know as fluorine. One of the common naturally occurring sources of fluorine is the mineral calcium fluoride, also...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hereditary Fructose Intolerance
Most of us can hardly wait to finish our dinner so that we can plunge into the dessert and satisfy our craving for sweets. We threaten to withhold dessert from our children until they polish off every...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Goldenseal
During the Civil War northern forces blocked a number of Confederate ports. One of the consequences of the blockade was a dire shortage of cinchona bark imported from South America. The bark was in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Botanical problems
“Botanicals” are dietary supplements derived from plant sources that have purported health benefits. Echinacea for the common cold, St. John’s Wort for depression, ginkgo biloba for memory improvement...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Weighing the benefits of tea
“Get in here and sit your ass down!” Not exactly what you expect to hear when you are peacefully walking in San Francisco’s Chinatown. But the boisterous elderly Chinese gentleman seemed charismatic...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Leukemia Needs Chemotherapy, Not “Live Enzyme Treatment”
Do parents have a right to make a decision about how a minor’s cancer is to be treated? Or not treated? This is not just a hypothetical question, it is a very current one. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Hippocrates Health Institute Dispenses Unhealthy Advice
Do parents have a right to make a decision about how a minor’s cancer is to be treated? Or not treated? This is not just a hypothetical question, it is a very current one. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chemistry Lesson for The Food Babe…and everyone else #23
These days an array of books, magazines, websites and numerous bloggers promote a variety of flakey “detox” schemes. Our pal Vani believes in a concoction made from celery, cilantro, cucumber, lemon...
View Article
